Coral reefs are considered to be the rainforest of the oceans and arguably the most beautiful habitat in the world. Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems where many species such as fish, marine plants, sponges, algae thrive on. As the text, Living in the Environment describes it: coral reefs “are among the world’s oldest, most diverse and most productive ecosystems” (Hackett, 132). Unfortunately, coral reefs are on the endangered list mainly due to human’s involvement in detrimental activities in the past decades. As of now, one-fourth of coral reefs around the globe are lost due to pollution, over-fishing, climate change resulting warmer ocean temperature and coastal development (Hackett, 132). In order to understand why the destruction of coral reefs is a global crisis, it is imperative to outline what are coral reefs and why they are such significant creatures to marine and human lives. Coral reefs are mainly found in warm tropical and subtropical oceans and they are created when large amount of polyps (tiny animals) form a colony. Over time, polyps start to secrete calcium carbonate also known as limestone, which is the building block of the reefs. Zooxantellae, single-celled algae, helps the polyps with food and oxygen and in turn the polyp provides the single-celled algae with a home and nutrients (Hackett, 132). “Coral reefs are essential spawning, nursery, breeding, and feeding grounds for numerous organisms” (NOAA). They also supply jobs, fishing, and tourism industries for humans around the world (Hackett, 132). As mentioned before, the coral reefs are endangered due to climate change, pollution, and destructive and over-fishing practises. This essay will address and explain each impact on the coral reefs and also provide some solutions to these crises. First of all, due to human activities, the rate of global warming has increased which ultimately lead to depletion of the earth’s ozone and increase in ultraviolet radiation. Because of the climate change, the ocean water temperature has risen and in turn causing ‘coral bleaching’ and infectious diseases began to transpire more often (NOAA). According to one website that talks about the destruction of coral reefs, “coral bleaching occurs when the polyps, stressed by changes in temperature or UV radiation, expel the zooxanthellae which are necessary for their survival. This not only “bleaches” them but causes them to lose their colour; it often leads to their death” (plaza.ufl.edu/coralreef). Since coral reefs grow leisurely, they are susceptible to damage and may get disrupted easily. Disruption such as an increase of just one degree Celsius can cause coral bleaching (Hackett, 138). This just goes to show how fragile this under water ecosystem can be. In addition, ocean acidification is another cause of coral reefs being damaged. NOAA mentions how the ocean water absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which makes the ocean to become more acidic (NOAA). When the ocean becomes more acidic, more coral bleaching will be caused and infectious diseases become more frequent. According to NOAA, “climate change and ocean acidification have been identified by many groups as the most important threat to coral reefs on a global basis” (NOAA). While reducing the amount of CO2 and other green houses gases into the environment is the most prominent solution, it is ultimately in the hands of politicians and people that live in developed countries that need to take actions to reduce the green house gas emissions. More people need to educate themselves about such crises and take simple actions, which can add up to make a greater difference. The second major issue regarding the depletion of coral reefs is due to pollution. Our oceans constantly get contaminated because of human activities. Activities such as...

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...Coralreefs have existed on this planet for approximately 450 million years. They provide an extremely diverse marine ecosystem. (Bellwood and Wainwirght2002) Coralreefs are the largest natural structures in the world and occur in over 100 countries. They are the result of a remarkable relationship between coral animals and microscopic algae. The microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) coverts sunlight and carbon dioxide into oxygen (photosynthesis) and carbohydrates for the coral animals (polyps) to use and make into calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate forms marine organisms known as coral. Coralreefs are like underwater jungles that host twenty-five percent of marine species and yet occupy less than one percent of the ocean floor. Coralreefs thrive in specific conditions because of the relationship they have with the algae and the polyps. The reefs support over one million discovered animals and plants and are estimated to hold over eight million more that have not been identified.
Coralreefs rank among the most endangered marine ecosystem. They are in serious trouble from a combination of stresses that threaten their survival. These stressors include:
• increasing coastal populations, which are expected to double in the next 50 years;
• poor land use...

...CoralReefsCoralreefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. “ Coralreefs cover an area of less than a quarter of one percent of all the earth's marine environment, yet they are one of the world's most diverse habitats, supporting one third of all fish species, and have been growing in the world's oceans for 450 million years”(Taylor). Although the coralreef ecosystems are such a small part of our planet they provide millions of jobs, food, and perhaps most importantly medicine. Coralreefs are very fragile and are threatened by many of the global environmental issues facing the planet. Because of overfishing, ocean acidification, and pollution coralreefs are dying. In order to help save coralreefs their needs to be an effort to reduce chemical and carbon output, stop polluting the oceans, and reduce the amount of fishing in coralreefs. If the proper actions are not taken coralreefs will undoubtedly die off and be lost forever.
Overfishing is extremely harmful to coralreefs. Overfishing is caused when fisherman harvest a specific species of fish at a rate faster than the fish are able to reproduce, subsequently killing off the total fish population. “Healthy...

...Topic :﻿CoralReefs
Grade 10
subject: Geography
Table of Contexts
What is a CoralReef?
Where are they located?
Types of coralreefs
Other types of coralreefs
Man’s impact on the coralreef
Rehabilitation of CoralReefs
Bibliography
What is a Coralreef?
Coralreefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coralreefs are colonies of tiny animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coralreefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups.
Most coralreefs were formed after the last glacial period when melting ice caused the sea level to rise and flood the continental shelves.
Where are they located?
Coralreefs normally live in tropical regions (these regions include the tropical Pacific, tropical western Atlantic (Caribbean), and the Indian Ocean (including the Red Sea). Some reefs live in places that are cool, but never cold areas. One very popular reef is the Great Barrier Reef. It...

...CORALREEFS
← Coralreefs are living things made of coral polyps. Coralreefs are large strips of wave-resistant coral rocks built up by carbonate organisms lying close to the surface of the sea and even sometimes rising above the sea level. In the Caribbean, there are generally three types of coralreefs:
← Barrier reefs are to be found parallel to the coast and are usually separated by a shallow but wide area of water called a lagoon. Belize has one of the second largest barrier reefs.
← Fringing reefs are low platforms of corals, 0.5 km. to 2.5 km. Wide, lying close to the shore of an island or continental shelf, but separated by narrow lagoons; its outer edge descends sharply into the sea. These are most common in the Caribbean.
← Atoll reefs tend to form a horseshoe. They are usually linked to a sunken volcanic cone.
BENEFITS OF CORALREEFSCoralreefs are very much part of the Caribbean culture and we have learned to use them to enhance our economic well-being through fishing and tourism, and have become conscious of their value in sustaining the physical environment.
← Coralreefs are natural tourist attractions. The Bahamas and...

...This is a piece of expository writing about coralreefs. I taught it fitting to write on coralreefs because they are so important and are getting destroyed every day. Coralreefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coralreefs are colonies of tiny animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coralreefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. Living coralreefs are the foundation for many marine species, and thus a crucial support for human life. The coralreef ecosystem is an intricate and diverse collection of species that interact with each other and the physical environment. Coralreefs are the homes of many species including crabs, shrimp, oysters, and clams. They also provide extensive recreational and tourism opportunities. Coralreefs are among the most diverse and biologically complex ecosystems on earth, supporting 33% of marine fish species, let’s take a closer look at why coralreefs are important? How they can be destroyed? And how they can be protected?
Coralreefs are important for many reasons. Most importantly,...

...101
Dr. Ferdinand
April 6, 2014
CoralReefs
If you’re looking for biodiversity than look no further than the coralreef, coralreefs are typically located in tropical oceans, near the equator, and due to their use as shelter are often the homes of many different types of animals. According to defenders.org “Reefs in the Florida Keys, for example, hold at least 45 species of stony coral, 37 species of octocoral, five species of sea turtles, 500 species of fish, about 1,700 species of mollusks and hundreds of species of sponges.” This coralreef is more than 7 times smaller than the largest barrier reef in the world. It is not unusual for reefs to have hundreds or thousands of different species of animals. Because of the complexity of coralreefs and the great abundance of various flora and fauna is what makes coralsreefs some of the most bio diverse places on earth.
Coralreefs from in very interesting ways; according to Biological Oceanography: An Introduction, Second Edition by Carol Lalli and Timothy Parsons “Coralreefs begin to form when free-swimming coral larvae attach to submerged rocks or other hard surfaces along the edges of islands or continents. As the...

...CoralReefs the Rain Forests of the Sea
Corals are found all over the ocean but mainly in Southern Asia waters. Coralreefs are estimated to cover 284,300 km2 just under 0.1% of the oceans' surface area. The Indo Pacific region including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific account for 91.9% of this total and the Atlantic and Caribbean coralreefs account for 7.6%. Although corals exist both in temperate and tropical waters, shallow-water reefs form only in a zone extending from 30° N to 30° S of the equator. CoralReefs are becoming endangered. Unfortunately, there are many reasons for coralreefs becoming endangered. Some reasons being: environmental pollution, as well as human pollution, diseases, and ecological competition that are making it more difficult for coralreefs to survive in the wild.
Corals are particular in regards to their habitat. They need everything they live in to be precise, so when the water temperature changes, it will not put stress on their structure. The optimum temperature for most coralreefs is 79–81 °F, and few reefs exist in waters below 64 °F. Corals need clear water to grow, they need as much energy light as possible so...

...Project
Kathrina Nguyen
SCI201-1404A-13 Environmental Science and Sustainability
CoralreefCoralreefs are beautifully seen in shallow areas, such as the Australia’s eastern coast, also known as the “The Great Barrier Reef”. The reef covers an area over 300,000 square kilometers. Amazingly enough, the Great Barrier Reef also covers wide range of ocean depth. People consider that the coralreef is the most complex ecosystem on Earth.
Abiotic Components
There are two major abiotic factors, Temperature and Sunlight. The Great Barrier Reef is an aquatic ecosystem, in which it has more abiotic factors. The additional abiotic factors are “buoyancy, viscosity, light penetration, salts, gases and water density.” (Batema, 2014)
Biotic components
The Great Barrier Reef’s major biotic components are Plants and Bacteria. The bacteria is able to create energy by breaking down dead organic matter and then converting it. Once it’s turned into energy, other living things that live in the ecosystem can use it. Plants also can create energy by converting the sun light into energy for food and to serve food for primary consumers. (Batema, 2014)
Biogeochemical cycle
The components in numerous forms flow from the nonliving, also known as abiotic, to the living, also known as biotic, components of the biosphere and back to the nonliving...